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Like so many others I took out the door and have a curtain I hang only when I need it.  I also took a length of 2" webbing with a plastic Fastex snap buckle on it and attached it to the wall behind the toilet.  This makes a "seat belt" of sorts for a bagged sail so the un-used space is now a sail locker when I'm not on the can.

Panic not!  Your boat is older than mine and the older boats have a different mast step - one that does not require a pin.

Hi all,

Back on line for a wee bit.  Been working on the harness and tether question too.  I used a similar technique to Andrew's idea on a previous boat where I had a long tether looped around the base of the mast and I ran around the boat like a dog tied to a tree.  I recently put together a similar rig for Virago where I have an 8' tether shackled to the mast step plate.  I can snap the free end of this onto my harness for moving out of the cockpit and onto the deck. This time I'm also keeping a 3' tether on my harness for a short hook-up when I get to where I'm going, and for in the cockpit.   I'm not keen on jacklines and prefer to be hooked to a fixed point.  This system worked well before but that boat didn't have rope clutches on the deck either - they may be coming off.  The 8' length is only just enough to let me reach the forestay - 10 feet would have allowed for some slack, but I want to keep the run of webbing as short as possible.  Eight feet lets me get to the bow pulpit where I can then hook on with the short tether.  I had considered a ring around the mast too, but I can forsee two problems: 1) it will foul on the boom vang and antenna coax etc.  2) in the very remote chance the mast comes down....

At work we use a system with two tethers and zillions of attachment loops all over the boat and we go hand-over-hand, clipping and unclipping in such a way that we're never not attached.  This is a very secure way of working as you can only ever travel a few feet in any direction (or barely at all if you're hooked to two points at once).  I've tried to figure out a way to do it on a Contessa but it is cumbersome.  The next best answer for me is the central fixed point at the base of the mast.

Been puzzling about re-boarding too.  I'm not going to bet that I can reach my swim ladder or deploy it.  Some books suggest a simple rope ladder on either side that you can flip down into the water if needed.  I'm thinking of something like the becketted lines you see on lifeboats - the slack ropes that hang down along the sides.  Becketted lines draped between the stanchion bases might at least give me a place to plant a foot or a knee and heave myself up, or a place to hang on while I try to manoever to where I can climb up.  I haven't tried this yet.

Another idea I had is not unlike John's: Run jacklines along the cabin top by the hand rails as usual.  Run two more, one on each side, from the stanchion bases next to where the upper jacklines end to the bow cleats.  This way you can move forward to the end of an upper jackline then hook on to a lower one and move all the way to the bow.  This lets you keep a short tether and it also keeps the foredeck clear of tripping hazards.  I'm all about staying on the boat.

On port side.  Works fine.  Gate in lifelines of course.  Ladder lives in up position tied to stern pulpit rail, easy to reach from water to release slip knot to let ladder down (watch it don't bonk yer head).  Would suck if it was on windward side of a healing boat though....Also very convenient for getting on/off little sit-on-top kayak I use for dinghy.  Can't remember if it's three or four steps, but first step is submerged and easy to reach from in water, second is at water level, one more and out...that seems to add up to three.

Further thoughts re: position of water tank in later models....Maybe it has nothing to do with balance and more to do with how JJT re-worked the boat.  From what I can read, JJT lowered the floor in the boat to increase the headroom, which may have crowded out the original water tank.  Perhaps they moved the water tank to the bow in order to keep the tank volume suitable for longer distances.  Regardless,  a full tank still puts my boat down by the bow.  The soft tank under the floor solution may work because it makes use of what little room there is below the cabin sole.   I believe Varuna had the water tank moved to a position under the floor at the time of construction - do we know if the holding tank was used as a water tank, or if a different tank was installed?

I'd like to hear how your experiment turns out Christopher.  And I hadn't thought about the drainage of the head as I don't use my head - but that is a good point.  Also, the water tank lightens up with use, unlike the holding tank if it's used.  I wonder how the long distance Contessa sailors pack their boats and if they pay any attention to trim and balance.  I've loaded mine for 4 weeks on the Great Lakes, but I'll bet that's different from loading her for 8 weeks in blue water.  For rbporter - the lines on Virago are original to the boat - an '85 JJT.  So far they seem to be well placed - the waterline is at the waterline stripe of a lightly loaded boat, down slightly by the stern due to the engine (original Buhk diesel), but the boot top is still dry.  The boot top becomes the waterline when she's loaded, but the full load of water that got me started on this topic puts the boot top under at the bow, but I think that's a load distribution puzzle more than a function of the lines.

I don't think I'd get that particular!  I'm not gunning for dead level so much as I don't want to muddle up the physics of the hull too badly.  There's a good article in Good Old Boat this month on what makes a boat seakindly.  That's what I want to protect in my boat - her good manners and seakindliness.  Thanks for the feedback and thoughts though, it's good to think "out loud" sometimes.

After this exchange I called the Transport Canada Ship Safety Office in Collingwood, Ont. and equired about approval of LED lights in Canada.  All I will say is that things that are approved in the US are not neccessarily approved in Canada. Common examples are: PFDs and Lifejackest - those that are US approved but bear no Canadian approval are not legal for use in Canada. Ditto for life rings and other items.  I was told that, up to that time, the officer I spoke to did not know of any LED lights approved for use in Canada.  Not saying they're not out there, but if you are looking at West Marine or another US supplier you might be wise to check with Transport Canada to find out if the item you want is also approved in Canada if you are outfitting a boat for use in Canadian waters.   Maybe check with Brewer Brothers or another major Canadian supplier to see what they offer.

I stand corrected.  I went looking for replacement bulbs last year and was told that no bulbs would do the trick, I wasn't looking to replace the whole fixture.  Anyhoo, the ColReg section that sets out the requirements are Rules 21 and 22.